Mark of Athena
by partayyc
Summary: Its my take on what will happen after the Argo II docks at Camp Jupiter, and what ensues.\ Rated M because I am paranoid of what I might write later on.
1. Chapter 1

I was nervous. What can I say? Looking out into the horizon usually calms me down, but today it was the reason for my nervousness. The Argo II was coming closer and closer to the port at Camp Jupiter, and my stomach was acting like I was going into Tartarus! I knew that Annabeth had to be on that ship, but that both excited me and gave me great anxiety. What if I had changed too much for her?

Slowly I watched as the ship docked, and I walked to the docking area. I saw her. She looked even better then she did in any of my newly remembered memories, if that was even possible. Her eyes looked as if they were scanning the crowd and when they set on me, her face lit up with delight. Annabeth then ran towards me, even though the boat wasn't fully docked yet. She jumped off of the side of it, and did a roll as she landed. She hadn't reached me yet, but her determination did not stop as she charged me, and flung herself into my arms.

I held her, and it was amazing. She had put all of her weight on me, wrapping both of her legs around my waist and putting her head into my shoulder. I could tell that people were watching us, but honestly, I didn't care. I put her down, and pulled her face out of my shoulder and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, and we didn't stop for several minutes. When we finally pulled apart, Annabeth looked at me and whispered, "Hey Seaweed Brain, nice to see you again!"

I answered her by kissing her again. That time, Reyna pulled us apart and said that, as Praetor, I needed to meet the new demigods who had arrived on the Argo II, and Jason.

I saw three faces I did not recognize. Annabeth could tell I was confused and introduced us saying, "Percy this is Piper, Leo, and Jason."

"Jason?" I asked. "You were the one that Hera, or Juno, traded me for."

Jason responded as he shook my hand "Yes. It's good to finally meet you. I have heard so many stories from everyone at Camp Half-Blood about you."

"Likewise." I responded. I felt slightly awkard around this kid, because I kind of stole his position as Praetor of the camp. I said hello to Leo and Piper, and then went over to speak to Reyna.

"Reyna, we need to have a meeting with the arriving Greeks."

"I was just thinking that Percy. Once everyone is settled into their assorted lodging for the night, we will ask them to meet us in my cabin."

After that, I went to find Annabeth again, and brought her to the cabin of Minerva, the Roman name for Athena, where she would be staying. Annabeth and I walked in silence there, and I stood and watched her unpack silently. Neither of us were talking, but rather soaking up the fact that we were with each other again. After unpacking all of the other children of Minerva were looking at Annabeth like she was a freak, and so I said to her, "Let me show you my cabin." We held hands all the way to my cabin, which wasn't a far walk.

When we arrived, I opened the door to let Annabeth in the cabin, and slowly closed the door. We stood there in silence for a moment, and suddenly her mouth was on mine, and I could feel the tension that I had been carrying around with me for months leave my body. I felt like my body was on fire, and that I would never get enough of her. I grabbed her legs, hoisted her onto my body, and laid her gently on the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeths POV

Percy's hands were rough when they grabbed me and slid me onto the bed. I have to say though, I welcomed the force; the aggression. It was the first real thing I had felt in months, and I didn't want it to go away. Lying underneath him I felt like everything was going to be ok again. The kisses were becoming more urgent, and his hands pulled off my shirt, and his own. He started to take of his pants.

We had never gone this far before, and I was going to say something but then decided no too. We had been away from each other for so long, what was the point of saying no now? Just as I was thinking this, the door burst open.

"Ugh…Sorry!" said an uncomfortable looking Jason.

Percy immediately jumped off of me and said in a slightly annoyed and exasperated voice, "Oh, um, it's ok man. What's up?"

"Reyna said to come and get you guys, because the Senate meeting is going to start soon."

"Senate meeting?" Percy asked, completely forgetting that he had no shirt or pants on and that I was missing my shirt. "I thought Reyna and I had agreed to have a meeting in her cabin for just those chosen as the seven for the quest."

"Octavian demanded a Senate meeting. That guy is such an asshole." Jason said more to himself than anyone else.

"Jason, we will be down in, like, thirty seconds. Could you just close the door so we could…um, you know, get dressed and stuff?" I asked slightly annoyed that the two of them were just sitting and talking while I was practically naked on a bed.

"Ya, sure. No problem Annabeth." Jason said quietly, and shut the door.

As soon as he had shut the door, Percy burst out laughing. I, on the other hand, did not quite think the situation was all that funny.

"What's so funny, Seaweed Brain?" I asked sarcastically.

Being the idiot that he is, he smiled at me and said, "Nothing Smart Girl. I think we should get dressed and go to the meeting though. It wouldn't do for the Praetor to be late."

"How did you become Praetor in less than a week anyways?" I asked curiously, still lying on the bed. "I know it wasn't by your smarts though." At this Percy tackled me onto the bed, playfully of course, and kissed my nose. He looked into my eyes and said, "I love you so much, and I will tell you later because we will be late if we don't get our asses on the move right now!"

I jumped up, threw on my Camp Half-Blood tee and my flippy flops. Percy took my hand, and together we walked out of the cabin and across the lawn to the city of New Rome.

Percy's POV

Being with Annabeth was like being home again, I thought. We walked through the fields all the way to the city of New Rome where Terminus and his assistant, Julia, waited to do a security check on us.

"Terminus." I said to him, and nodded my head.

"Perceus Jackson, how are you? And who is this? Ehhh eh. All weapons with me please, that included Praetors as well!" He exclaimed, noticing me not putting my pen inside the bin. I gave him a look but did what he said.

"I am well Terminus, thanks. This is my girlfriend Annabeth." I said pointing at Annabeth.

"Annabeth Chase, sir, daughter of Athena, nice to meet you." She extended her hand in greeting, but at the last moment decided not to do that due to the fact that Terminus has no hands. After we had given all of our weapons to Terminus, we walked through the city of New Rome.

"I think that one day, when all of this fighting is done; we could come here and go to college." I said quietly. Annabeth just looked around and then finally at me.

"I think that we should talk about that when we aren't facing the end of days. What do you say?" She said sarcastically. I nodded and we kept walking all the way to the forum, where all of the Senators were entering the Senate building.

"I am going to have to sit next to Reyna, at the Praetors table. You need to sit with the other guests at the front of the assembly. Oh, right there!" I said pointing to the seats we had just passed. "I will meet up with you after the assembly is over ok?" I asked her.

"Alright, Seaweed Brain, go and make the Romans be quiet. I will see later. I love you." Annabeth said and kissed me quickly on the lips, and without even waiting for my response after.

I walked slowly up towards Reyna at the Praetors table. I could feel all the eyes in the room following my every move, and I liked the feeling of being able to command an entire assembly of demigods. My purple Praetors cloak flowed behind me as I sat down next to Reyna. She looked at me with a serious expression.

"What's with the face Reyna? Who died?" I asked jokingly. Reyna just looked at me and finally said, "You just look so confident and powerful. You are actually radiating power like a Titan or a God; it just sucks because that is the exact opposite of how I feel and everyone here knows it. You are the better leader." She whispered it, looking sad and upset. I just sat there, and then I said, "Reyna, you are a great leader, you just need to get your mojo back." I said smiling.

"Now, let's call this meeting to order," I said, and with that I stood up, put my hands out, and said in a loud and commanding voice, "THE SENATE MEETING HAS NOW COMMENCED." Everyone immediately stopped talking, and looked at me, because now I was their leader.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason POV

All eyes were on Percy Jackson. Oh, how great Percy Jackson was, I thought angrily. He was here two weeks and had already gotten the position that took me years of hard work and dedication to aquire. All I had heard while I was at Camp Half-Blood was how great Percy Jackson was. I heard all about the quests and titans, and monsters he had slayed, and I had thought 'They must be exaggerating.' But now I know that I was completely wrong about that, because not one person exaggerated the power that Percy Jackson. The worst part about hating Percy was that I really didn't know him that well, but from what I could see, he seemed to be a pretty standup guy. That made him hard to dislike and be angry at.

I know that he didn't know what he was doing, in fact he was just being himself, but how could Reyna just give away my Praetor position? The whole situation angered me, and I silently cursed Juno and her damned plan.

Looking at Percy, however, and his commanding prescence, I could understand why he was made Praetor so quickly. Percy radiated power like a titan, or a god, and he seemed not to know it.

"THE SENATE MEETING HAS NOW COMMENCED." Percy said loudly, in a demanding presence.

The first person to stand up and speak was Octavian who said, "I do not understand why we have welcomed Greeks into our camp. They are untrustworthy, and will just stab us in the back. We are doing just fine without them. I question the motives of our Praetors for allowing Greeks on our land, and ask that the graceus are made to leave!"

Ugh, I hate that bastard I thought angrily. All he ever did when I was Praetor was try and turn the others against me. I even think that he is a fraud and can't really read Auguries.

"Octavian, we cannot defeat Gaea alone! We need the help of the Greeks. May I remind you that the Greeks safely returned our former Praetor Jason Grace? Three, possibly four, of the chosen seven for the quest, assigned by Juno, were on that boat. What were we supposed to do? Turn them away?" Reyna said. Her voice was controlled but I could tell the anger behind it, and the words she spoke sounded like daggers. I was surprised Octavian didn't just roll over and die.

"It is wonderful that Jason Grace was returned to us," Octavian said addressing the crowd, "But, the Greeks have always been the Romans sworn enemies. What difference can it make if we both have a common enemy? Throughout the course of history the Greeks and the Romans have had the same enemies, but they never united! Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate, this is ridiculous! What if Jason Grace is a spy, and was turned by the Greeks? Then what? How do we know that Juno chose him to be on this quest to stop Gaea? We don't."

I could see the faces of the Senate beginning to agree with him, and I was furious for the comment he had just made about me being a spy, and truthfully the comment Reyna made about me being a former Praetor.

I stood saying, "Octavian! How dare you accuse me, Jason Grace of the 13th legion of being a spy? I am the son of Jupiter! I am no spy, and the Greeks are our friends. We will not defeat Gaea without them."

At this outburst from me Percy stood. "That is _enough_ Octavian." He said loudly. "I am a Greek, and yet you all chose me to be your Praetor. I swore to you, on my life, that no harm would come to this camp from the Greeks, and it is a promise that I intend to keep. We CANNOT defeat Gaea without both the Roman and Greek camps uniting. It is impossible. Juno herself told me this. It is in the prophecy of seven. You must stop trying to create conflicts between us. This will be difficult enough as it is."

With that chiding from Percy, Octavian muttered something that sounded like, "Fuck off." And sat down. If Percy heard he said nothing, which is a lot more than I could have done.

Reyna spoke, "Now that that is settled, we must decide when the seven are leaving for the quest, not to mention who those seven are, and how fast we need to get there. Time is of the essence."

"The seven that Juno chose are very clear," said Percy. "Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, myself, and Annabeth Chase."

This was news to me. I didn't know that Annabeth was part of the seven, but given what I walked in on between Percy and Annabeth earlier, it would surprise me that Percy wanted to bring along his girlfriend. I looked at Annabeth's face. She also looked surprised at Percy's announcement, as did the rest of the senate. They knew that there were six known of the seven, and I don't think anyone knew who the seventh person for the quest was going to be. Murmurs began to arise in the crowd, Octavians, of course, being the loudest.

"Yes, Annabeth Chase is the last member of the quest. Juno herself told me this as I carried her through the Little Tiber and into Camp almost two weeks ago." Percy said loudly, to quiet all the talking.

Annabeth stood, and addressed the Senate, "Romans, I know that I am not part of your Camp, but this quest must leave as soon as godly possible. Gaea grows stronger everyday, and we must travel to Greece in time to stop her from rising."

"I agree with this notion. Do you Percy Jackson, second Praetor?" Reyna asked. "I do, but Juno said that we must go to Rome, for that is where we will find the Doors of Death." Percy responded.

"It is settled then." Reyna said. "The seven for the quest will leave for Rome tomorrow at sunrise. Meeting adjourned."

I stood up ready to leave, when Percy approached me.

"Jason," he said. "I think we should talk before we leave for Rome tomorrow. What do you think?"

"I agree." I said.

"Meet me at my cabin in twenty minutes." Percy said, and walked away to join Annabeth.

I watched him go, slightly nervous, and slightly curious about what we so urgently needed to discuss.


	4. Chapter 4

Percy's POV

I could feel all eyes on me as I walked through the Forum from Jason to Annabeth. The look on Jason's face when I told him that we needed to talk—priceless. He looked both startled, and scared, at the same time. I can't help save the world unless I know what the Earth has in store for us, and Jason is a very key part of that cycle. Gaea definitely wants him for something, and I need to find out what happened on their quest.

I think Annabeth could tell that I was thinking deeply, because she didn't try to talk to me or ask me what was up with Jason and me, she just let me be.

We walked out of New Rome, through the camp and to my cabin. Inside, the bed was messy, clothes were strewn everywhere, and there were food rappers littering the floor.

"You know, Seaweed Brain, I didn't notice before but now that I actually look around, this place is a fucking mess!" Annabeth said in a scolding tone. I laughed.

"What? I'm a teenage guy. Did you expect it to smell like roses and be nice and tidy like the Aphrodite cabin?"

"If what Reyna says is true…YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR TWO DAYS!"

"Your point?" I asked while raising my eyebrows. This apparently was not the smartest thing to say and if it weren't for my quick reflexes, I most likely would have been knocked unconsciousness from the large book that had narrowly missed my head.

"Whoa! Sorry, sorry! Let me get right on cleaning it up."

Annabeth almost fell over in laughter. "I just wanted to see what you would do if I threw a book at you, and this is the end result. I should throw stuff at you more often!"

After that, we both worked quietly on cleaning up the cabin. Shortly after we finished there was a knock at the door.

"That's probably Jason." I said to myself while walking over to get the door.

Jason stood at the door, clearly still in a state of confusion as to why he was here. I get the feeling that he also didn't like me much, probably due to the fact that I stole his job as Praetor.

"Hey Percy," Jason said while offering out a hand. I shook it, and invited him in.

Annabeth stood there watching us with an odd smile on her face, and when Jason came in, she stood up, kissed me on the mouth quickly and said, "Have fun babe. I will see you later." Then she whispered something in my ear that clearly made Jason uncomfortable to be in earshot of.

After Annabeth had left Jason and I stood in the room quietly.

"Wanna sit?" I asked.

"Ya. So… not to be blunt, but why am I here?"

"Well, it's just that if I want to help stop Gaea, I need all the facts about your quest. And, since I know that you were the quest leader, you seem like the best person for me to get the facts from."

"Ya sure, but I think that you should have all three of us, you know, Piper and Leo, if you want everything accurately and stuff."

"Listen, Jason, you and I both know that we are the leaders of this quest, the ones chosen to unite the camps. I want to hear everything from your point of view because I think that Gaea has a specific use in mind for both of us, and we both need to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Not to be rude, but I'm not interested in hearing unimportant details from your friends. After you are done telling me about your quest, I'll tell you about mine." I said, getting a little frustrated that this was taking so long. I thought that he knew what we were going to talk about when he agreed to come here in the Forum.

JASON POV

Shit! Percy looked kinda pissed, and for a demigod that I had heard so many intimidating and heroic stories about… that was one thing I really did not want him to be.

"Oh, ya, I get it man. Ok, let me start at the beginning when I woke up with my memory gone." I said calmly.

I told Percy about how I woke up, didn't know who or where I was, and how I got to Camp Half-Blood. I told him about how I met Piper, Leo, and Annabeth. Once I started talking about the quest, Percy sat back and just listened intently. When I got to the part about defeating the Titan, and saving Juno, Percy started to laugh. It was kinda annoying to hear him laughing at something that was so real and almost killed me.

"What's so funny about that?" I said with malice in my voice.

Percy stopped laughing and just looked at me for a second before saying, "Oh, I wasn't laughing at what you did or anything, I think that's really heroic and shit, but I was just thinking… you should have just left Hera where she was, because she is the biggest pain in the ass!"

At that I almost fell over laughing. Percy Jackson actually had a sense of humour! Then, I silently asked Juno to forgive us for laughing at her, because I thought I heard lightning in the distance.

When we were both finally done laughing, I felt like some of the tension that was in the room before hand was gone. It was awesome! I finished my story, and Percy looked like he really respected me for what I did to the titan that had kept Juno.

Then, as if on cue, Percy started to tell me about how he woke up with Lupa a while back, with no memory whatsoever. I listened to him talk about how he fought the gorgons for days, and kept killing them. He told me about how he came to camp, we both laughed at the fact that Octavian was still an asshole, even then, and as Percy went on, I actually started to admire him. He was really brave, heroic, and he acted so humble and down to earth. By the time his story was over, I believed everything that everyone had ever told me about Percy Jackson. I admired, respected, and actually thought of him as a decent guy.

After he was finished we both stood and Percy said, "Well, thanks for telling me all that shit. I know it's boring, but if we have any chance of defeating Gaea we need to know everything, and become friends."

"I completely agree. We need to show unity so that the rest of the camps will follow us into war."

Percy nodded gravely, as if he had seen the pain of war and loss and it disgusted him, and then I realized, he had. I chuckled, and Percy gave me a confused look, which I just shook off."

I looked at the clock. Jesus! It was almost 10! How could it have gotten that late so fast? "Alright well, I better be going before Annabeth practically kills me for taking you away from her for too long!" I said.

Percy laughed, "Annabeth is actually very rational, and I don't think she will kill you rather than just maim or seriously injure you, so don't worry."

We both laughed. "Later dude."

"Okay," Percy said. He waived as I walked out the door.

ANNABETH POV

The Minerva cabin was beautiful, but also kind of sad, and lonely. I looked at my watch. It was practically 10. I knew that Percy and Jason had to be done talking by now, but for some reason I did not want to leave this cabin. I had spent the evening talking with my siblings. It confused me. I knew that they were all my siblings, that they were all my mother's children, but how could they be? I didn't like the fact that my mom had so many kids at the Athena cabin at Camp Half-Blood, let alone the fact that she had almost twice as many kids here!

I know that it's not their fault and all, but come on! How could my mother do this? She never has any time for me, probably because she had 10 million children! Okay, so that was an exaggeration but still!

Lydia, one of my little sisters from the Roman camp, came up to me and asked, "Are you going to be sleeping here tonight? Because if you are, we made up a bed for you in the corner."

"I don't know. Let me go and check, okay? Thanks, though." I said.

Hmm, that was a good question. Where was I sleeping tonight? I had to go and talk to Percy about that. They made me a bed? That was so sweet of them. I stood in the same position, looking awkwardly at all of my new siblings for another five minutes before I finally decided to go to the Praetor cabin where Percy was sleeping.

The walk across camp was a peaceful one. I knew that nobody was going to bother me, and that was good because I was still questioning my mother's stupidity. When I arrived at the Praetor cabin, I knocked on Percy's door. He answered shirtless.

To see Percy shirtless is like looking at Chris Hemsworth shirtless; another way of putting it… he's HOT! Percy looked at me, up and down, as if imagining me naked and smiled. I could tell that I was definitely NOT going to be sleeping at the Minerva cabin tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

PERCY POV

I woke up feeling good. Really good. I mean REALLY GOOD. Last night was definitely the best night of my life. I looked at the clock next to my bed. 6:34 A.M. wow, I woke up early. That is surprising. Next to me Annabeth moved. She was still sleeping, and I know it sounds creepy, but I just kind of laid there and looked at her for a while. She looked so beautiful sleeping, not that she doesn't all the time, but she looked even better if that is even possible.

After she had come over last night, we had sex. I know that it's supposed to be this huge deal that we are supposed to talk about before we do and shit, but I think that the fact that we didn't talk about it made it that much better. Before I got taken by Hera, before I lost my memories of her, before I remembered her, we would have talked about it before we did it, but last night, we were both elated by the fact that she was here, that I was here, that we were together again, and we just did it.

It's not like we didn't use protection and stuff, I mean no one needs that right now, but I really hope that this won't change anything. It's no big deal, right?

Annabeth moved, and her eyes flickered open, interrupting my thoughts. I think it took her a moment to figure out where she was, but when she did she smiled. She looked over at me, and kissed me on the lips. I smiled, and kissed her back.

"Ugh, I think that we had better break our little bubble of bliss and get up Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said quietly, and while she had said we needed to get up, she made no attempt to do so.

"I think we can stay a little while longer, don't you?" I looked right at her when I said it, lifting my eyebrows in suggestion.

"No! Seaweed Brain, we actually need to pack and get going, remember? We have a quest that we are leaving for in… Holy Shit! Its 6:40!" She said looking at the clock and bounding out of bed.

"What's the problem?" I asked lazily, even though I was clearly aware of the problem.

Annabeth responded by staring at me and saying, "You cannot be that blatantly stupid. I refuse to believe it. We need to get packed, and we have to be there first because you are the leader of this quest! Seriously get out of bed, or else!"

"Or else what?" I asked teasingly

"No sex."

I jumped out of bed.

JASON POV

Fucking alarms. I would literally kill a flock of innocent lambs right now if I could just have another five minutes of sleep. I checked the time. 6:15, great. Not only do I have to start a potentially life threatening quest today, and attempt to save the world, but I have to be up at fucking six A.M. to do it.

My bags, which I had packed last night, were by the door. I just had to brush my teeth and put on actual clothing. I don't think Reyna will let me quest in my boxers and no shirt. Ugh, Reyna. Piper. What was I going to do about them? I know that what happened with Reyna was before I met Piper, before I lost my memory, but I still felt kinda bad about being with Piper in front of Reyna, when something so obviously happened between us. It was like some stupid love triangle in that dumb tween series, Twilight.

I stumbled into the bathroom and angrily brushed my teeth, taking out all of my pent up aggression on them. When I was done, and had eaten a bunch of protein bars, it was 6:45. I had a feeling that once I left I would not be coming back here. Ever. I dawdled in getting all my shit together, but I didn't want to be late, and I couldn't find anything else to do, so I picked up my bags, looked back at the cabin once, and closed the door.

It was chilly outside, or chillier than it should have been in the middle of summer in San Francisco. I put on a sweatshirt and kept moving. When I arrived at the dock, Percy, Annabeth, and Leo were already there. They looked like they were making an attempt at conversation, but I think they were failing miserably. I had never seen anyone look as happy as Leo did when I showed up.

"Hey dude. How's it goin?" I asked.

"Fine, I was just talking to Percy and Annabeth." He said, and gestured towards them. They looked up at us and nodded.

"Jesus, bro, thanks for coming to my rescue. Percy is clearly not in the talking mood right now if you know what I mean." He whispered to me.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. He looks like he's thinking about the quest, and he clearly doesn't want to be disturbed. I don't really wanna piss him off, since he is probably the most powerful demigod since Hercules, so I just stopped talking and we just stood there awkwardly until you showed up."

"Hercules was a son of Jupiter." I said bluntly. His comment about Percy bugged me, I mean I liked him and all, and we became better friends last night, but don't I also deserve some credit? I didn't want to talk anymore, because that comment had really gotten under my skin.

The more I looked at Percy, who with Annabeth was examining the ship and untying everything, the more powerful he looked. Damn it wasn't fair. He got everything. The girl, the looks, the strength, and the leadership. No, I couldn't think like that. It was probably just Gaea putting thoughts into my head.

In the next ten minutes everyone arrived. Piper came over and stood by me. She took my hand, but when I saw Reyna approaching from over the hill, I quickly shook her grasp from mine. Reyna came towards us, and I thought she was going to talk to me, but instead she went over to Percy. They walked away together and talked for some time.

When they got back Reyna said, "The quest is beginning now. Anyone who doesn't want to go, this is your last chance to leave. Otherwise, get on the boat."

No one said anything, and one by one everyone got onto the boat. Everyone, that is, except me. I stood and watched everyone board the ship. Then, I walked over to Reyna.

"I'm sorry. I woke up, and I didn't remember you. I didn't remember anything. I started dating Piper and I know it hurt you." I said. It seemed kinda stupid, but I knew that it was the right thing to do before I went on my quest and probably died.

"Jason, I don't care. If you didn't remember me it's ok. I know that you had a lot on your mind, and we were never a couple remember? I know that we might have been if you hadn't been taken, but you were and it didn't happen, so don't stand here apologizing to me for doing something you couldn't control." She said, clearly upset by what I had said to her. Then she turned around and walked away.

I boarded the Argo II, looking back on the place I used to call home, but which now seemed like a strange and sad place to me.

HAZEL POV

I stared at Sammy, or should I say Leo? He sat directly across from me on the Argo II. I so desperately wanted to ask him how he could be here, how he was alive, how his name turned out to be Leo, and so many other things. I went back to when I last saw him and how he kissed me and how now he didn't even know who I was, or who he really was for that matter. How was I supposed to tell him that?

I looked around the ship. Frank was talking to Piper, and the two seemed to be getting along. Percy and Annabeth were sitting in the corner of the ship near the steering wheel. I didn't know Annabeth that well, but from what Percy had told me about her, she seemed to be a great person. The other boy, Jason, was pacing the deck. He had spoken to Reyna earlier, and did not look happy at all. I didn't want to disturb him.

"Hey, so what do you know about Percy?" Sammy, I mean Leo, asked me.

I stared at him in surprise for a minute, and he actually had to repeat his question before I heard him. "Percy is a great guy. I mean, what else can I say? What do you really want to know?"

"Well I just heard that he is the biggest hero since Hercules and all those other people of legends."

"Ya. He is. I think that he is a really stand up guy, but you can judge that yourself." Then I started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Leo asked.

"No, it's just… here we are talking about Percy, when you and I don't know the first thing about each other… though, you do remind me of someone I used to know a long, long time ago."

"Oh, haha, sorry. I was just curious. Ya, well I am the son of Hephaestus, and I can start fires with my bare hands, as well as walk through them. What about you?"

I smiled. He was actually kind of funny. If I wanted to know the truth about where he came from, I would have to get to know Leo Valdez. I would have to find out everything about him, without divulging too much of myself in the meantime. I wanted to say, "Well, I am the daughter of Pluto. I have a curse, or a gift depending on how you look at it. My brother is Nico di Angelo, and he is missing. I am going to look for him because I think that he might be in Rome. Oh, also, I am supposed to be dead, and because of that, my father isn't even allowed to acknowledge my existence, but other than that I am great!"

Though, I knew I couldn't so instead I said, "I am the daughter of Pluto, but I don't really have any special powers. That's really cool that you can do that though. Will you show me?" I said trying to animate my face as much as possible.

"Sure." Leo said kindly, and he took out his palm and suddenly fire danced across it. The sight was beautiful, and it kind of turned me on. Frank looked across the deck and I thought he might jump out of the ship; then I remembered why he looked so upset.

"Wow, Leo that's so cool! But, could you please stop it now, because I don't really like the idea of fire on a wooden ship in the middle of sea." I said as nicely as I could.

"Oh, ya, your right! That's probably a good idea, because if I ruined this ship I could never forgive myself, I built it you know?"

BAM. It was like a physical pain, the way he reminded me of Sammy. He had to be him, and I was going to find out how, no matter what it took.


	6. Chapter 6

ANNABETH POV

Percy and I stood on the dock together. Everyone was sitting and talking, but what they were saying didn't matter. I told Percy we needed to have a meeting once we boarded the ship to talk about what we were going to do when we got to Rome.

Percy was looking out into the water. He looked a lot more peaceful, and less Roman, since we had boarded the ship. I knew being on the water made him calm, and he needed peace. I wasn't going to bother him about the meeting right now. I was thinking about the night before, and to be honest, it wasn't really a big deal for me. I know that it should be and all, but I love him and he loves me so that's all that matters.

The thing that was really bothering me was the dream I had afterwards. My mother was standing on a pedestal above me. She looked so unhappy, but there was something else in her expressions as well; it looked like disappointment. That pissed me off. How dare she give me that look? I had done nothing wrong, and I wasn't procreating, so what was the reason for that?

In my dream she said, "Annabeth, there are tough times ahead for you. What you did tonight may not affect you tomorrow, or maybe for weeks, but when the time comes, it will affect you, and what choices you make. I know that you are upset with me for reasons I cannot explain to you, for you would not understand, but it is vital to the survival of Olympus that you complete your quest."

I just stared at her. I stood there looking like an idiot, mind you it was a dream, but still. Finally I said, "How can you come to me with these coded messages all the time and expect me to know all of the answers?"

I was starting to get angry and said, "I wasn't even aware I had my own quest. I understood that I was part of the seven, but is there something more? Something that I wasn't told? Just tell me already. I can't solve an equation when I don't have all the variables mother."

"Annabeth, my dear, I am sorry. I know that you are confused, and it is partially my fault, but if you want to know your quest you must ask Percy. He knows the prophecy made, and its time you knew as well."

My dream ended, and know here I am left to ponder what it was the Percy could know that even my mother, Athena, could not tell me. I guess that I was so spaced out thinking that I didn't hear the commotion on the deck until it pretty much smacked me in the face. Literally smacked me in the face.

"Annabeth!" Percy screamed. "Where are you? I kinda need your help over here!"

I could hear the desperation in his voice, and when I looked over I saw what could only be the largest Ichthyocentaurs known to man.

PERCY POV

What the fuck is that thing? It looked like a centaur, only huge with fins, and human heads. My mind was going on overdrive. I yelled for Annabeth. She looked up, and immediately I knew that she knew what this creature was.

"Percy, it's an Ichthyocentaurs! The only way to defeat it is to pierce its heart with a giant diamond!" she screamed.

Sometimes it's really helpful having an encyclopedia for a girlfriend, but where the hell was I gonna get a diamond? I looked at Hazel. She had fear in her eyes and I could tell that she knew what she needed to do. Meanwhile, Jason looked like he was panicking, and as the giant lobster thing tried to swing at him he ducked out of the way and shoved Piper in front of him. I almost considered drowning him, but I had other more important things on my mind at that moment. A sea monster in particular. This was my turf, and I could control the water. I felt a tugging in my gut, and a huge 70 foot wave began to rise.

Jason jumped out of the way, and flew up (He can fly?) to the sea monsters head. Just as Jason hit the clouds, my wave knocked the Ichthyocentaurs into the sea, but I knew he would only be knocked out for a few minutes at most. I looked around. Everyone on the deck was staring at me in awe as Jason flew back down. I ignored him and his cowardliness. I would deal with him later.

"Hazel." I said loudly. "We're going. Do you feel anything? Can you do this?" Hazel simply nodded yes and said, "Let's go."

Jason looked confused and said "What are you…" I cut him off.

"Shut up Grace. We don't have time to deal with you right now. Hazel and I are going to get a diamond. We will be back shortly. Annabeth, Frank, Piper… you got this?" I asked angrily.

"Percy, go! We are wasting time!" Annabeth said looking super pissed at me. I shot her a confused look and, with Hazel in tow, jumped over the side of the ship.

I love the ocean, but tonight it was scary. The waves must have been 50 feet by themselves, and the undertow in the water was so rough it took almost all of my powers to control myself and Hazel. Shit! I forgot Hazel couldn't breathe underwater. I looked over at her. She looked like she was about to pass out. I made an air bubble around her head, and watched as she spit water out everywhere. Quickly, I made the bubble bigger, and put my head inside of it, while we continued to go deeper and deeper into the deep dark sea.

Hazel was still coughing, but I was focusing. I could feel all the creatures around me, and I felt a giant (the one that I had just knocked out) begin to stir. It had not yet fully awakened from the blow, but it would soon. We went faster down to the depths of the Pacific. Thankfully, I was taking all of the pressure off of her with my bubble, or she would have been crushed to death.

In no time at all we were at the bottom. Hazel had recovered from almost drowning, and looked like she was really concentrating on finding some diamonds in the sand. I didn't know if there were any, but she was our only shot, so I hoped it worked. We cruised along the bottom of the ocean floor.

"Percy, stop! Right here. I need you to let me feet touch the bottom." Hazel said worriedly.

"No, Hazel, you don't understand. If I let your feet out of this bubble, they will most likely immediately be crushed due to the amount of pressure down here. It's a miracle of the gods that you haven't been crushed already."

"If you don't let my feet touch the ground, I can't get the diamond out. That's the way it is. Maybe this is the way I play into the prophecy of seven. Otherwise, we will all die and we won't be able to complete the mission."

I wanted to argue with her, but she was right, and we were pretty much out of time. I could feel the Ichthyocentaurs awaken, and it was only a matter of time before it found its way back to the Argo II. Slowly I made a little bubble at the bottom of the whole. No water came in, because I was willing the currents not to, but I held Hazels hand as she quickly shoved both of her feet out of the hole.

She started to scream. I was watching her feet, I could see them even though there was no light down here, and they were bleeding and starting to break in every part. I didn't know how she could stand it. I was about to just take her feet out of there when she looked at me and said in a hoarse voice, "No, Percy I am almost done. Let me finish. Please. This will all be for nothing if I don't."

I nodded, watching as she went pale. Slowly I saw something emerge from the sand. Hazel looked too tired to speak, so I reached my hand out of the bubble, grabbed the huge rock, and shot us back up to the surface, pulling Hazels feet inside.

When we emerged at the surface the Argo II was in full blown war with the Ichthyocentaurs. I watched as it took out Frank, who had transformed into a giant Great White Shark, with one fluid motion. I saw him disappear into the water and prayed to my father that he would be ok. Next, I saw Annabeth and Piper fighting the monster and behind them was Jason, trying to redeem himself obviously, and fighting the monster from up high. Leo was throwing fire at it every time the thing moved, but it wasn't enough.

I grew a wave and brought Hazel and myself to the deck. Hazel was passed out from the pain, so I laid her on the deck behind the wheel to try and conceal her, grabbed the diamond, and did the natural thing. I charged the 300 foot monster.

I ran up to it, took out riptide, and slashed at its sides. A wave appeared out of nowhere, and I let it lift me up. I began to create my own little storm system. As I went up and up, the monster kept slashing at me, but I did a somersault off of the sails and bounced straight into the monsters stomach, the whole time swinging riptide angrily. Jason, who seemed like he was too tired to continue to stay airborne, dropped out of the sky, leaving me completely alone to fight the monster. I had lost all respect for the guy. The anger at what Hazel had just gone through under the sea made me even more determined to beat this monster, and so I used all of the force of the ocean to rip a hole with my body through the monsters heart, thrusting the diamond forward first.

The Ichthyocentaurs fell beneath the stormy sea. Dead. I hit the deck quickly, and the large waves that had previously been rocking the boat stopped. Everyone on the deck was staring at me open mouthed, but I just kept walking. Straight to Hazel, who was still unconscious behind the steering wheel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, thanks for all the great reviews guys! Please read and let me know what you think!  
Also, thank you Anime Princess for pointing out a MAJOR mistake I made in the last chapter which I corrected! REVIEW PLEASE**

PERCY POV

I was fuming. I almost blew that little asshole up, I swear to the gods! He was such a coward, but I couldn't deal with that now. I had to think about Hazel. As I approached her behind the wheel, I could see that she was paler than before, and when I looked at her feet I almost barfed.

They were crushed. It looked like someone had taken a mallet and beaten her feet with it. This was all my fault. I stood there looking at Hazel's feet for almost a minute, and no one around me moved. Then, slowly I got down next to her, and tried to wake her up.

"Percy, no." Annabeth said softly. She had come up behind me and gently put her hand on my shoulder.

"If you wake her up, she will come to and feel the full extent of her injuries. It will be excruciatingly painful for her, and she will just suffer. It's better to let her sleep until we figure out how to fix her feet and dull the pain."

I knew that she was right, and yet I still had the strongest urge, no, a need really, to wake Hazel up and make sure that she was okay. But, I didn't, because in the end that would have hurt Hazel more, and I honestly couldn't bare that right now.

"Your right. I will take her down to her cabin, and then we can try to figure out what to do with her." I said.

I picked Hazel up, and brought her down to her cabin. I gently put her in her bed, washed the dried blood off of her legs with a washcloth, and went back to the deck. When I got there, Jason and Frank were screaming at each other, Piper was sitting down obviously crying with her head in her hands, and Leo and Annabeth were whispering to each other. I looked at the sea. How could this so called 'team' defeat Gaea, when we couldn't even get along? I prayed to my dad asking him to help.

I looked up at everyone there again, and just lost it.

"Okay, everyone SHUT UP!" I said angrily.

Everyone just stared at me quietly. I was so mad that I couldn't even contain myself.

"How are we supposed to do this, to stop Gaea, if we can't even get along, if we can't be a hero and fight? I am pointing this directly at you Grace, because you are the main reason all this fighting is going on."

Jason looked stunned, but that very quickly turned to anger, and I realized that pointing him out in front of everyone may not have been the smartest move, because it almost guaranteed a fight was about to occur.

"What? How can you say that to me? I have been nothing but a team player this whole time! It was you who decided what we were gonna do, you who took charge, you who bossed us all around, and you who is responsible for that girl, Hazel, getting hurt! I did nothing wrong this whole time!"

At his response to me, I swear I think my eyeballs came out of their sockets. I stared at Jason for a long time. Then, in a quiet but deadly voice I said, "Jason, don't push me. You are a coward. Everyone saw you push Piper in front of you when that monster came. Everyone saw you fly away when the going got tough. You ask why I just called you out? Well it's because of that reason right there! I took charge because you obviously were too afraid to do so. And, don't you DARE—" at this point I started yelling, "Say that what happened to Hazel was my fault. It wasn't. It was Gaea's, and Hazel made a sacrifice. She was a team player. SHE TOOK ONE FOR THE TEAM, INSTEAD OF RUNNING AWAY WHEN THE GOING GOT ROUGH!" When I was finished with my piece, I was breathing so heavily I had to pace around or I would have punched something off the deck.

It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop on the deck. God Damnit! I know that I shouldn't have lashed out at him quite like that… but he fucking deserved it! How could he treat his girlfriend like that? I mean I get acting surprised and stuff but that… that is unacceptable.

"How can you call me a coward?" Jason yelled angrily taking a huge step towards me. "It was me who fought Krios and destroyed his throne. I did that by myself!"

"Ya, well I beat the king of the Titans myself, Kronos, and I never once, hid behind someone else." Then, regaining my composure for just a second I stopped myself and took a step back from Jason, because at this point we were almost touching each other we were so up in each other's faces.

"Okay, dude let's stop. We can't act like this and still expect to defeat Gaea. Let's all just cool down and get some rest. I will get us moving again, okay?"

Jason looked angry still, and honestly if it weren't for the fact that we had a mission to complete I would have knocked him to Olympus. I looked at Annabeth and said, "Can you go and check on Hazel and make sure she is alright? Maybe give her some Nectar and Ambrosia?"

"Ya, of course I will Percy." She said, and gave me a look clearly letting me know that we needed to talk about what had just happened later, and then she went down into the cabin.

I stared at Leo, Piper, and Frank. They were all just sitting there and looking at me.

"Can you guys go and check the ship for damage and stuff? If you find anything let me know… I might be able to repair it, given that this is kinda my territory." I said giving them a smile.

"Sure." Said Piper, being the first among them to stand up. "Let's go guys!" she said to the others.

Jason was looking at me from across the deck with a menacing look, and the one I returned to him clearly let him know I was not in the mood to be fucked with anymore.

ANNABETH POV

To be honest, I had wanted to punch Jason in the face myself. I can't believe that Percy backed down without me asking him to. I thought for sure I was going to have to step in! On my way down to Hazel's room, I thought about how I was going to help her when I was not a healer. I asked my mother why something so terrible could happen to someone so sweet.

When I entered her room, I saw her and immediately went to her. She had clearly been awake for some time, and in excruciating pain, but unable to yell because she was too weak and tired. It must have been awful lying there in agonizing pain, but having to wait for someone to come and get you because you can't walk. I looked at Hazel's feet. They were crushed and swollen, and blue.

Hazel was lying on the bed looking very pale, with tears streaming silently down her face. I went to her and hugged her tight, letting her cry into my Camp Half-Blood tee shirt.

"Hazel, you don't have to talk if you don't feel well enough to, but I am going to give you some Nectar and Ambrosia, and see if that helps with your feet. Just nod if that's ok" I said trying to be as gentle and quiet as possible. I imagine she had a raging headache from all the pain.

"Yes, please Annabeth." Hazel said quietly, and again, I asked my mother why this had to happen to Hazel.

"Okay, I am going to go and get it from my room okay?" I said; Hazel nodded yes looking very nauseous.

I went into my cabin and retrieved my backpack. Inside of it were a baggie of Ambrosia, and a tin can of Nectar. I walked them back into Hazel's cabin. I gave her a small portion of the Ambrosia, and after she had consumed the entire thing, I let her drink two full sips of Nectar, which is quite a lot for a demigod. After she drank it, Hazel started to fall asleep, but before she did, she mumbled, "No… Please… Don't leave me."

Bam! Just like that I was ready to curse the gods and forsake this quest. But I knew I couldn't, because somebody had to suffer, and it may as well be me. But, today, the suffering was being done by Hazel, and the least I could do was lay with her while she did.

FRANK POV

All I wanted to do was go down into that cabin and sit with Hazel, but I had a feeling Percy would want me to be on the deck while his girlfriend, Annabeth, tried to see what she could do about Hazels condition.

The events that had taken place in the last two hours confused me. One minute we had just left camp and were on a peaceful sea voyage, and the next we were under full blown attack (which I couldn't help stop at all) and Hazel was unconscious on the deck. Then, Percy and Jason were screaming at each other and for a second I thought they were going to physically fight, but at the last second Percy stopped himself. I probably couldn't have done it that well. Honestly, what Jason did was inexcusable, and I thought he should have been beaten to a pulp for it.

I looked over at Piper. She was acting like she was fine, but I knew that later on tonight, she was going to cry herself to sleep thinking that no one would know.

"Percy!" I yelled. He looked over at me.

"Dude, can I go and see Hazel now? I know Annabeth is with her and all, but I need to see how she's doing!" No one could mistake the desperation in my voice.

"Frank, man, I know you're hurting and that you want to see her, but Annabeth is trying to fix her feet right now. She is the only one on this ship that has any experience with healing, and I think that having Hazel in full health is better than not having her in full health? Right? So we need Annabeth to be able to concentrate, and she can't do that if you, or me, are standing over her shoulder."

I understood what he was saying was right, but that didn't mean that I had to like it. "Ya man, your right. Just let me know when I can go see her okay?"

"Absolutely." Percy replied slapping me on the shoulder. He was a great friend, and if it came to it my allegiances were to him, and not to Jason Grace.

PIPER POV

I don't even remember what happened, because it all happened so fast. One second I was behind him, then I was in front, and honestly I wish no one had seen. If no one had noticed than I would have been to confused to remember, and then we wouldn't be here, in this predicament, with everyone looking at me.

I could see Frank watching me from across the deck, what… did he think I was blind? I was tempted to walk over to him and yell at me for staring at me, but I won't. I will just sit here and think about two seconds that will probably affect my relationship with Jason for the rest of my life. Should I forgive him? The clear answer was no, but the one that I wanted to say was yes. Everyone on this ship would hate me if I forgave him now. It hurt me so much that he hadn't even attempted to talk to me. I watched him pace the decks of the Argo II, and then just take off of the deck and fly away.

I was actually shocked. I didn't know if anyone else had noticed besides me, and I just sat there looking at the spot where he had been.

Finally Leo said, "Am I the only one who just noticed him take off?" and we all laughed.

"If he comes back, he comes back, but let's not worry about it right now. We have other more important things to think about." Percy said, clearly thinking about Hazel.

Poor Hazel. I had only seen her feet for a second but it looked like she was going to die of pain when she woke up. Here I am, talking about how bad my life is, when hers is so much clearly worse. I saw Leo walking up to me and I realized that I should probably say something to him, but I couldn't. I think he saw that as he sat down next to me.

"Piper, I'm really sorry. " Leo said stoically.

I stared out at sea. I really didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

"You know, I am his friend too. I might not be his girlfriend, but remember that I was on that quest too, and that I am just as upset and confused about this as you. You're not the only one in this position." Leo sounded really angry, and kinda sad. I was such a bitch! But, there really wasn't anything that I could say to him that would satisfy his anger, and like I said I really didn't want to talk. So we just sat there, looking out into the sea, and wondering what hell we would face next.

LEO POV

Sitting next to Piper was saddening for me. She clearly didn't want to talk, but I really didn't have anywhere else to go, so I stayed next to her. At first the silence was awkward, but then it became more and more welcomed as I tried to sort through my thoughts.

How could my best friend have done such assholic things to his girlfriend? To me? It was sickening to me, especially because I thought that I was a good judge of character. Looking around the deck I saw Percy, who was at the steering wheel (Damn that guy had balls), and Frank who was pacing around the port side of the ship. He looked like he was ready to light someone on fire. I felt for the guy, I really did. I knew that he wanted to be down there with his girlfriend, but he couldn't because he wanted her to get better. It was a tough thing to do, wait up here, and I just hoped that Hazel was okay.

I didn't really know the girl that well, but anyone who could take one for the team like that was okay by me. Though, every time that I looked at Hazel I felt this strange feeling of familiarity that I couldn't shake. The way that she was looking at me earlier, made me happy, kind of like when I was with my mom. I didn't usually have feelings like that for everyone, and that made me kinda nervous.

"Leo!" I heard Percy yell from across the deck. He motioned for me to come towards him. I got up, and walked towards Percy and when I got there, he pulled me off to the side.

"Man, can you do me a solid?" He asked quietly. That was funny to me. How was I going to say no to the only guy on this entire boat I am absolutely sure could kill me in less than a minute with no hesitation.

"Sure what do you need?"

"Can you go down into Hazel's cabin and ask Annabeth to come up here? That would mean that you would have to sit with Hazel and shit while Annabeth is up here. I mean if you're not up for it that's cool, but I can't go down since I have to steer, I can't ask Frank to do it because it will crush him, and Piper isn't looking too good herself…"

"Ya, of course. Say no more. You want me to do it now?" I asked.

"Yes, please, if you could."

I nodded and walked over to the cabin door, opening it, and descending the steps.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys, let me know what you think of this! Please Review. Sorry it took so long, but its summer, and I have been debating with colleges about if I want to row for them. **

JASON POV

I honestly couldn't take being on that stupid ship anymore. Everyone there was thinking about me, and they didn't even try to hide their dislike of me. I get it ok. I made a fucking mistake, but everyone does sometimes! The worst part of it all was I couldn't even figure out what to say to Piper.

Flying helped me to clear my mind. It made me feel calm, and I needed that after the argument I had just had with Percy. Gods! He was such an asshole! How could he act all cool with me and then the second I make a mistake yell at me like that? In front of everyone? If he had not taken a step back I would have beaten the shit out of him, or at least tried to since I know he could take me in a fight.

I know that eventually I'll have to go back to the ship, I mean I can't just abandon my quest, but right now I honestly cannot imagine going back to the ship. I have to go back at some point and apologize to everyone, but I can't do it right now.

The more I thought about what had just happened with Piper, the more confused and angry I became. This whole business with Reyna and Piper was tearing me up. I don't know who I should be with… though I doubt I really have a chance with Piper anymore after what I just did. Gods! I am such an asshole! I can't just blame this all on Percy. Flying around was becoming tiring, but since I wasn't ready to go back down just yet, I floated in the air, thinking about what an idiot I was and how badly I just fucked things up.

HAZEL POV

I almost felt like I was high. I had only done drugs once in my life, and it was not the best experience for me. I knew that all the Ambrosia and Nectar I had just consumed would make me drowsy, but this was something else, almost euphoric in its feeling.

I heard someone come down the stairs. They sounded like a guy because of the way the stairs creaked as they came down. It was Sammy. Haha, he looked so good! I just wanted him to come over and kiss me! Oh, no… that's Leo, and not Frank. I can't say anything or he will for sure think I am crazy. Gods, drugs make you do some weird things, but at least they dulled the excruciating pain in my feet.

"Annabeth." Leo said dreamily. Oh Gods I was out of it.

"Leo!" Annabeth said. She was clearly startled because to me it seemed like she had been asleep. She stood up quickly and I could see the blood rush from her head.

"Percy says that you should come up and see him… you know," he lowered his voice an octave, as if that was gonna stop me from hearing, "to talk about Hazel and her state and all." He finished in a whisper.

"Um, ya sure, but who is gonna sit with her?"

"I will, if that's okay." Leo said.

"Alright." Annabeth said to Leo, then she addressed me, "Hazel, I am gonna go and talk to Percy but Leo is gonna sit with you okay?"

They were literally talking to me like I was a five year old crying for her mommy. That really pissed me off.

"I'm not two Annabeth. You can leave. I'm not gonna fucking die." I said in an angrier tone than I thought I would.

"Um…okay." Annabeth said, and she left to go up to the deck.

Sammy/Leo sat down on the bed. He looked so good. Before I could stop myself I reached out for him, and grabbed his hand. Leo looked startled, but he didn't move his hand away. We just sat there awkwardly for about a minute. Neither of us knew what to do, and it's not like I could really move away from him.

Finally Leo said, "That was really brave what you did back there. You probably saved us all."

I laughed. It felt good. "Ya, well there wasn't really a huge choice for me was there? I either do and get hurt, and possible die, or I don't do it and we all definitely die." I said with a little more bitterness in my voice than usual. I think Leo sensed it, because he just squeezed my hand a little bit harder and laughed. Oh, gods, no! I can't do this. I need to just tell him about how he looks like Sammy! I have Frank to think about! But, I mean if couldn't hurt to find out more about him. We're just talking… what's the big deal?

ANNABETH POV

I walked up the cabin stairs feeling a little bit queasy. I loved the sea and all, I kinda had to considering I was dating the son of the sea god, but I did get sea sick sometimes. I came up on the deck to the sun bright in my eyes, compared to the cabin it was so light out my eyes hurt. Percy came up to me right when I put my feet on the deck, and pulled me over to the corner of the ship behind the cabin stairs where nobody could see us.

"How is she?" He asked urgently. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he thought this was his fault.

"She's doing okay. I gave her a lot of Nectar and Ambrosia, but it won't completely heal her feet. We have to get her to a healer when we get to Rome." I said quietly.

Percy looked like he was about to fall over. He must have been exhausted. I could tell that the fact that Hazel had gotten hurt was weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"It's not your fault." I said quietly.

"I know that. Everyone keeps telling me that. I just… it just feels like my fault okay? It might not be my fault, but it feels like it is, and I can't stop from feeling like there was something else I could have done." Percy said slightly agitated.

I could tell he was losing it. I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him close to me so that our noses were practically touching. He was breathing heavily, looking like he was about to fall apart. We both breathed in heavily, soaking in the other persons scent. I think that he was just trying to gain enough composure to keep it together. He leaned in and kissed me deeply. It felt good, and I think it relaxed us both (him more than me) and when he pulled away he was still close enough so that our noses were touching. He started laughing, and it was contagious.

Soon we were both laughing hysterically, but I don't know why. When it hurt too much to keep laughing we stopped, and Percy's face looked a little bit less upset.

"So, do you think Hazel will be able to walk again?" He asked bluntly. I didn't want to tell him the truth, but sugarcoating things wasn't going to help.

"Not until we get her to a healer, and she still might walk with a limp after that."

"Okay, well then let's tell Frank that so that he can go downstairs and see her. Is she up to see people?"

"Yes. At least I think she is… but I'm sure she will want to see Frank." I said.

Percy pulled away from me and stepped out from behind our little hiding spot. "Okay. I'm gonna go tell him that he can go see her now, and then I have to get us back on course. Currently we are about one day's sail from Rome. Do you think you can go and talk to Piper? She seems pretty shaken up after what just happened."

"Absolutely." I said, and walked off to where Piper was sitting, but as I looked back, I saw that upset look return to Percy's face.

FRANK POV

Percy was approaching me with a grave look on his face. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shitttt. I couldn't bear it if anything had happened to Hazel. I would probably jump off of this boat right now. With every step Percy took towards me, my stomach kept sinking into what felt like my back.

Percy reached me and said, "Hey, Frank, if you want to see her, you can. Her feet are pretty bad and she can't walk, but I'm sure she will be fine."

"Right now?" I asked feeling a little woozy, but also nervous.

"Yup. Leo is with her right now, but I'm sure he'll leave when you get there." Then Percy walked away, leaving me to do what I needed to do.

I walked over to the cabin entrance, opened the door and descended the steps. The cabin was big. I hadn't been in it for the entire time we had been at sea, so it was a new experience for me. I quickly found Hazel's room. I looked inside quickly, and saw her talking with Leo; they were holding hands. Anger boiled up in my stomach before I could stop myself. No. Don't assume things. He is just her friend; they used to know each other long ago. She is just questioning him about it. That is all!

I opened the door, and went inside to see Hazel. She looked up at me and smiled. All feelings of doubt about our relationship that had just occurred were gone.

"Frank." She said in a hoarse voice as she smiled.

Looking at the condition Hazel was in made me so angry. That stupid Earth Goddess was going to pay for the shit she had done to my girl!

"Umm… I'll leave now." Leo said hurriedly letting go of Hazel's hand and getting up.

"Okay." I said awkwardly.

"Thanks for sitting with me Leo." Hazel said. Leo nodded and walked out of the room as quickly as he could.

As soon as Leo left I closed the door and sprang onto the bed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Hazel.

"Well, I have never felt better actually." We both laughed.

"No, but for real. How are you?"

"Well, I guess I've been better. I could really just use someone to sit with me because in all honesty I am about to pass out." She said after yawning.

"You got it." I said, snuggling close to her, just glad that she was alive, and okay for now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated in 11 days, but I have been busy with rowing and summer. This is the new chapter. I hope you like it. The next one is already in the works, so you won't have to wait too long for it! Please review and let me know what you think!**

PERCY POV

Being the leader sucks. That's the cold, hard truth. I hate it. I hate everything about it, and if it weren't for Annabeth helping me out (though is she still? I don't know considering the fight we just had), I think I might just jump off this ship right here and now. Everything had gone to hell so quickly, and now it is my responsibility to fix it; to make it right, even when I did nothing wrong to being with.

It was dark outside, and Jason still wasn't back yet. If Annabeth was correct we would be arriving in Rome tomorrow, and I needed to do that with everyone on this ship so that we could deal with Gaea and this whole fucking war. I was standing on the deck waiting; everyone else had already gone to sleep but me.

Hazel was still in pretty bad shape, but Frank was with her and they both seemed content that way. Speaking of which… should he be allowed to spend the night in her room? Gods, this was my life now, debating whether two thirteen year olds who were dating should be allowed to spend the night together in a room… with a bed. No, Hazel was injured and I had just pointed out the flaw in that plan. They were thirteen for Christ's sake! I would have to talk to Frank about that later. But, for now, they were both safe and happy, and that was all I could have hoped for.

Piper was down in her cabin. She had gone to bed as soon as the sun had gone down and she made it very clear that she didn't want to talk to anyone. She seemed pretty upset after what had happened with Jason. After Piper went to bed, Leo also fled to the cabin. I could tell that he, too, was upset about the Jason incident. I'm pretty sure that Leo and Jason are best friends. I would have been upset by that too.

My fingers were practically frozen. I had on a sweater and some jeans that I had changed into earlier in the day, but being out at sea, in the middle of the night those didn't do much. I didn't want to think about the fight that I had just had with Annabeth, but for some reason it kept replaying in my mind.

"Percy, talk to me. You look so upset, and I just want to help. Everything will be fine." Annabeth had said.

I knew that she was just trying to comfort me about Hazel and Jason and this whole shitty mess, but I was just so angry, and I just took it out on her.

"I don't want to talk Annabeth! Everything won't be fine! You're just saying that because you're not the one who has to make everything fine! I can't fix this mess, and stop trying to make me feel better about it!" I had yelled, quick to anger.

"Oh grow up Percy! You are not the only one on this ship, and I don't have to listen to you bitch about being the only one who gets it, or that you're the leader and no one else can help you. I am here! I am offering you my help and you are shooting it down! YOU!" she yelled pointing her finger at me.

"I don't want your so called help, because it doesn't actually help me! It doesn't help anyone. People only put up with you because you're my girlfriend! Just leave me alone!" I had yelled.

I could tell immediately after I said it that I had hurt her more than anything. I wanted to take it back more than anything, but I couldn't. Annabeth looked at me and there was defeat in her stormy grey eyes. She turned around and walked away.

So here I am, sitting on this deck, alone. Freezing cold, and trying to forget my life. Gods I could use some vodka right now! Thump! There was a loud noise. I looked over to see Jason, landing on the deck. He looked cold and angry, and really upset. I just stared at him and then I stood up.

"What? No yelling? Not gonna hit me to the ground? Not gonna throw me off the ship?" Jason asked angry and accusingly.

I just stared at him for a moment before saying, "No Jason. I'm not gonna hit you, or yell at you. I am too tired and upset for that. I am just gonna give you an ultimatum." We stood in silence for a minute while this sunk in. Jason looked at me expectedly.

"If you step out of line one more time, and I mean fighting, yelling, hurting someone, etc.," I said with my voice low as I took a large step towards Jason so I was right in his face, "I will kill you."

JASON POV

Did I just get a death threat from Percy Jackson? I thought that this guy was supposed to be nice, and loyal especially to his friends. Oh, wait, I guess I don't count as one of his friends anymore after what I did to Piper. This pissed me off, but I knew better than to mess with or anger Percy right now. He looked like he had had a difficult day, and I really didn't wanna get into a fight with him at that moment.

It didn't matter. Now I knew what I needed to do. A whole day of flying around and talking to the Earth Mother could do that to ya.

"Calm your shit. Okay." I said, trying to act calm myself, when really I was freaking out on the inside.

"Okay then." Percy said. "Well then I will be going to bed now. I am serious Jason. Don't test me on this."

"I won't." I said annoyed. Then I realized I needed to be on Percy's good side. Gaea said I did. "Percy wait!" I cried.

He turned around quickly and looked at me, with a face that said I shouldn't mess with him. "What?" he demanded.

"Dude, I'm sorry for all the shit that went down today; for all the shit that I did. I won't let you guys down again. Can we just forget about it and be friends again?" I asked.

"First of all Jason, I knew you for exactly two days before you acted like a total dick and messed everything up. Second of all, you hurt Piper, and you need to apologize to her, not to me. Jason, I don't wanna fight with you, really, but I am not gonna just forget what happened last night. I won't talk to you about it, or hold it over your head, but I will never be able to trust you to help me out again." And with that he walked across the deck and into the cabin.

Well, at least he didn't kill me or fight me, and make me leave. I am still a member of the quest, and that is what I was supposed to do. I was still processing about what had happened to me today. The out-of-body experience I had had was like nothing that had ever happened to me before, and it kept running through my head.

There I was flying around the sky like an idiot, when I just appeared on a beach. Except I wasn't really on a beach, I was just a kind of spirit floating above the beach. That is when I heard her. Her voice was like wind on a hot summer evening, and I knew that I would do whatever she told me. This was Gaea, it had to be, but she, it, could not be evil like everyone was telling me, like I had previously believed. Oh, no. Gaea was kind. She had to be.

"Jason Grace." She had said. "Help me. I do not wish to harm anyone, just help me."

"Yes. I will do it. I will do anything for you." I had said. Thinking of the memory just made me want to hear her voice again. It was true; I would do anything for Gaea.

"I need you to collect all information on the approaching demi-gods. Do this for me Jason Grace and you will be rewarded heavily. I will send for you later. Do not fail me Jason Grace."

"I will do this for you, my lady, my queen." I had said, and with that I was back in the air somewhere east of the ship.

Gaea hadn't asked me to harm anyone, so I don't see what the big deal is. I would just be helping her, maybe I could even get everyone to understand that Gaea was actually good, and not evil as we were told.

With that thought, I went into the cabin, found my room, and fell into a deep, dark sleep.

ANNABETH POV

Mornings are my favorite part of the day. Correction- mornings were my favorite part of the day. This morning I don't want to get out of bed. It will just force me to remember everything that happened yesterday and the affects of it.

"Wake up Annabeth!" Piper yelled from the bathroom. We were roommates, and it was annoying. Why do all the boys get their own rooms? I think I will yell at Seaweed Brain for that today. But we're not on speaking terms, so it might have to wait until after we get over this fight. I will not be very forgiving so he better grovel, and beg. The things that he said to me! Ugh! I know that he was upset but that is no way to treat me!

I rolled out of bed like a slug and made my way to the tiny bathroom I shared with Piper. She was already dressed, in a pair of dark ripped skinny jeans, a tank top, and some gladiator sandals. She actually looked really good. I was beginning to wonder why when it hit me. Today is the day we're arriving in Rome! I hurriedly brushed my teeth.

Quickly I ran out of the bathroom to my suitcase and pulled out a pair of white 'booty shorts' a light grey wife-beater, and a dark blue blazer. I threw on the clothes, along with my black converse, grabbed my bag, along with my Yankees cap, and ran to the deck, but not before I threw on a quick coat of mascara.

I could see the harbor from the ship and it was beautiful. The architecture! Oh my gods! I could study here for years! Then I saw Percy. My heart stopped and anger pumped through my veins instead of blood. For a minute we made eye contact, and he blushed, looking slightly ashamed and looked away. I noticed Jason standing on the ship's edge, looking slightly nervous about being there, but no one said anything to him. I guess he and Percy had talked.

Piper was just sitting on the bench, eating a granola bar next to Leo. I looked around and saw Frank, sitting next to Hazel. Hazel's feet were roughly bandaged, and she looked like she was in pain from sitting up. We needed to have a meeting about what we were going to do once we had docked.

"Hey, everyone shut up and listen!" I yelled. I know that I probably should have consulted Percy before doing this but, whatever. He didn't own me, and I could do what I wanted.

"We need to come up with a plan about what we are going to do once we dock. We need to figure out where to go." Percy looked confused, but he didn't try to stop me from talking.

"Annabeth is right." Leo said. "We have to figure out a game plan. Do we even know where to go once we dock? What are we supposed to do once we get into the city?"

I stood shocked. In all of our planning to come to Rome, we had not once discussed the specifics of what we were going to do once we got here. Oh Gods! I was such an idiot.

"We will figure that out after we have set up a place to stay." Percy said loudly. He clearly saw the worry on everyone's faces.

"Why don't we just stay on the boat?" I asked. He was such an idiot sometimes. "Once we're docked we won't have to pay for a hotel if we just stay here. Duh." Okay so saying duh was childish but come on… how stupid can you be?

"Okay Annabeth, well what is your brilliant plan for what to do once we dock?" Percy asked angry at me for pointing out his idiocy.

"Well," I said my voice raising, "For starters—w" I was cut off.

"Stop bickering both of you! All we need is a plan. Does anyone know where we are supposed to go once we dock?" Hazel exclaimed loudly. It was silent. No one knew.

"Okay, well then we better start praying to our parents, because we can't help anyone if we can't help ourselves."

Leo stood. "I agree with Hazel. Let's just try and figure out where to go. There is no point fighting about it."

"Well, we are docking right about now, so everyone sit down." Percy said.

We came into the dock slowly. Percy was obviously using his control over the water to make sure that we didn't hit anything.

I sat down on the floor right where I was standing. There was no point in fighting anymore. Percy and I obviously weren't going to resolve our differences right now, and we needed a game plan more than we needed fighting so instead of arguing with him, I prayed to my mother to guide me to the right spot. I don't know how long I prayed for, but I must have fallen asleep (right there on the deck!) because I woke up in a place I didn't recognize.


End file.
